Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Wooly Caper Bush (Capparis tomentosa)

A small tree occurring only in the northern and eastern
regions as far south as Durban. It is a protected plant in South Africa.

It has two sharp, hooked thorns flanking each leaf. The
fruit is pink to bright orange when ripe.

Extract from Palgraves: “This is one of the best-known trees
among African peoples for its supposed magico-medicinal properties and has the
reputation for curing a variety of complaints ranging from coughs and cold to
barrenness. Moreover, if a stick is coated with a paste made from the powered
root and other ingredients and pointed towards storm clouds, it is believed to
act as a safeguard against floods. The Venda make a ritual remedy for pneumonia
by combining parts of this tree with dried hyaena and antelope blood and mixing
the concoction together with ox fat.

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About Me

I am a private tour guide in Kruger National Park. For more information contact me on natureswow at gmail dot com
I was a full-time tour guide to for almost 23 years and enjoyed every minute of it.
Please join me as I walk through my world of nature...
If you have any questions about South Africa and/or its wildlife, please feel free to contact me.
Who am I?
Oh my gosh, that would take eons to answer. Let us just say that I have done more with my life than any 20 normal people. I am still learning and growing, so who knows what and who I will turn out to be. The bottom line is that I am just an ordinary person with a great thirst for knowledge and a passion for nature (especially bugs) which has no equal!!
Visiting scientists who come to South Africa often need an assistant and someone to show them the do’s and don’ts of the bush and I do these assignments too.
For more information: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joan-young/68/35a/291